For the greater good
by XX-Samantha-XX
Summary: Mike Roads is a new marine Lt that has joined Atlantis…..will eventually be a Stargate: Atlantis/NCIS crossover but how do NCIS become involved? ON HOLD FOR THE MOMENT
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: the characters aren't mine _

_No real spoilers. Dr Weir and Dr Beckett are still there because they are good characters._

_Summary: Mike Roads is a new marine Lt that has joined Atlantis…..will eventually be a Stargate: Atlantis/NCIS crossover but how do NCIS become involved?_

_Well here goes my first attempt at a multi-chapter fanfic_

**For the greater good **

**Chapter 1**

It had been about four months since Mike had been approached by the trust and been given his new mission. At this point he had only been in Atlantis for almost two months and hadn't heard about what he was going to be doing here yet, he'd been getting nervous that maybe the trust had decided to choose someone else for the assignment that he'd been given. He'd also, been getting more nervous since he'd been in Atlantis because of all the stories that he had heard before coming here. He had been selected to accompany the most experienced team in Atlantis for a simple recon of a planet that had been found in the Ancient database. While heading towards the gate room he was thinking about how he came to be here in the first place, and why he was getting the feeling that he was doing the wrong thing. He had gotten used to the way Atlantis looked it was truly amazing to say the least. When he first heard that he'd be coming here he didn't expect all of the technology that was here, he was expecting ruins of a lost city.

x-X-x

Flashback- _Four months ago back in Washington D.C_

_Mike had noticed that a black unmarked van had been following him for the past mile of his early morning run. The van seemed to be observing him at the moment. He decided that he should change his path to see if the van is actually following him or if, he's just being paranoid. He takes the footpath heading towards his local forest, deciding that maybe he could loose them in the cover of the trees. On second thoughts he thought that maybe he could see the occupants of the vehicle by hiding between the trees near the road that the van was on. As he searches for a vantage point, he doesn't notice the black-clad figure coming towards him. Mike stops suddenly as he realises his mistake. He had completely forgotten his marine training to make sure the way ahead was clear before proceeding. 'Oh well can't do anything about it now' he thinks._

"_Move slowly and quietly to the van" the figure whispered in a foreboding way _

"_Why? What is this about?" Mike replied trying to remember any part of his marine training that could get him out of this situation, without getting himself killed in the process._

"_We have a new job for you now get to the van; do not make me ask again" _

"_What job? Who are you people?" says mike becoming more uncomfortable with the situation that he was in, he was sure that if he could see the guys eyes then there would be a menacing look in them. The figure started to push mike loosing patience with him. Mike complied as he thought that is was either get shoved into a van or be killed for a reason unknown._

_Inside the van there were more figures dressed in all black, Mike also noticed that there was others that had been rounded up just like he had 'maybe they were marines too' he thought quietly to himself. None of them looked liked they knew why they were there which was a small comfort in an odd way. At least he wasn't the only one. The atmosphere was somewhat hushed and slightly claustrophobic though, that could be due to the amount of the people cramped up in to the back of the van. He thought he would test the waters and talk anyway looking towards their 'guards'._

"_What are we doing here? What do you want with us?" he asked as stoically as possible. He received only silence even the others that had also been rounded up stayed silent. _

"_That is none of your concern for the moment, all will be explained. Now be quiet!" Mike couldn't help but notice the tone in that last part. It gave the feeling that if he didn't stay silent then their 'guards' would do it for him permanently. _

End flashback

x-X-x

Present day back in Atlantis

They had contacted him earlier in the day to give him the finer points of his mission, and to begin phase one of the assignment. Mike and the marines that he'd been sent with had been allowed to settle in. Get to know each other and how things worked in Atlantis. He knew that there was a risk of them getting caught however, the trust had told him if was for the greater good of the planet. He was getting the feeling that is was only for the greater good of the trust but if he wanted to live then, all he could do was to go along with it until he saw a way out. He and the others in his group had pretty much been keeping to themselves. A certain Lt Colonel had decided that each one of the new batch of marines would be assigned to an experienced team, to get the feel of gate travel and exploring new planets.

x-X-x

"So, Lt Roads, I hear that you came over with the last batch of marines. How are you finding Atlantis so far?" Sheppard asked lazily while walking through the sea blue shimmer that was the event horizon, the rest of his team following after him. Mike could barely believe that this guy was the Sheppard that everyone respected and heard heroic stories about. The guy looked naturally lazy. Maybe he was mistaken but he couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

"It's….. Interesting, sir" mike replied after he had stepped through the gate and on to the alien planet that, didn't look too alien. _'That's odd he thought'_ while taking in the surroundings, the sights, the sounds and the smells were all very similar to that of a forest on earth except for the big stone looking gate in the middle.

"Well that's the Pegasus galaxy for you" Sheppard smirk in a _'you could say that'_ way, his team had over heard the small conversation and had shared the smirk with their team leader as he had spoken the words. Mike was interested in what the smirk reflected but decided not to ask, maybe he would find out in time.

Mike fell in with Sheppard's team as they started walking away from the gate in extended line formation. The gate was situated in the middle of a field, the formation allowed for all angles to be covered. The planet itself was a typical Pegasus galaxy planet. A lot like earth, lots of trees, not much civilisation in immediate vicinity of the gate. This was mostly down to the Wraith as; they came to cull worlds via the gate. Sheppard had decided that a simple recon mission to explore planets would be good to brake in the new recruits. He was hoping that nothing was going to happen because he knew all too well how good situations could go bad quick. Being scared half to death on a first mission wasn't a good way to start duty on Atlantis. Although, it allowed him to see what the new marines were made of and how they handled a surprise attack. It was important to him that everyone could handle themselves on missions as it wasn't only themselves that had to look after; it was the others in the team as well. As they reached the tree line they had gotten in to a loose herring bow formation so they could watch either side of the forest.

"Why am I here again, there's not even any energy readings" McKay complained for the third time and they had only been walking for half an hour.

"McKay! You are a part of _the team_ so you come on _our_ missions, now keep moving. And hey you never know when we might need your genius." Sheppard replied sarcastically knowing what needed to be said to keep the reluctant scientist going.

"Oh right…fine" said McKay remembering all the times his genius was needed as Sheppard pushed him along.

Teyla and Ronon just smiled as they were listening to the friendly banter between the two. They had become used to how they worked with each other as a team. Both Teyla and Ronon were looking out for any dangers that could come up at any moment. They could imagine that the new Lt may be thinking that Sheppard and McKay hated each other, that is what most thought at first. They knew that it was because they were such good friends; they knew how to talk to each other in such away that was not offensive to either of the two.

"Why couldn't… we have… brought the… jumper" said McKay slightly out of breath from the brisk walking pace that they had fallen into while following a lightly treaded path, through a sparse forest. While the forest wasn't that packed, there was no spot big enough to land a puddle jumper in, bar the open field near the gate. There were small clearings but again not big enough to land.

"McKay, just keep moving"

"Anyway McKay, you could use the exercise" came an amused reply from Ronon.

Mike had heard all of the conversation and how the team reacted to each other, he could tell that the team worked well together. He now doubted what the trust had said about the goings on of Atlantis. He shook his head and decided not to carry on with that train wreck of a thought. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be with the flagship team, they were slightly amusing and he could imagine all the fun or trouble they may get up to while off duty. He had been reminded at the pre mission briefing that even after all the excitement of the past missions reports, that was not what all the teams did and they were first and for most explores, looking for allies against the Wraith or trading partners such as the Athosians.

They had come to another small clearing when, out of the blue the noises of the birds and other unknown creatures native to the forest stopped and there was familiar whirling noise. Mike couldn't place the sound, it sounded slightly like a small craft though nothing earth built. As soon as the noise had started Sheppard and his team had gripped their weapons like they had hundreds of times before. They were well practiced in theses sorts of situations, even McKay.

"Everyone fall back to the gate now!" Sheppard ordered, hoping that the Wraith dart hadn't blocked their escape through the gate like they had in the past. The Wraith were well known for opening the gate again to stop people from escaping. If they weren't seen then maybe they could get back and dial home. It was only one dart so; Sheppard had made the assumption that the Wraith were also scouting the planet for any life.

"What are they Sir?" Mike shouted over the noise of the ship as he looked up and actually saw what had made the noise. He had seen many aircrafts before but the dart was nothing like anything on earth. It was streamlined to a point; he could see why they were called darts.

"It's the Wraith now move it Lt"

While Mike had been reading the reports of past missions back in Atlantis, he had read how quick a nice clam mission could turn into one of life and death but, not believed it until now. He had only read reports and seen a few pictures of Wraith but, they couldn't tell you how you'd actually feel going up against one, or whether he'd be ready to face one. _'Well here goes nothing'_ he thought as a beam of light had suddenly appeared in front of him.

'_Oh crap' _Sheppard thought as he saw the Wraith materialise right in front of the Lt. Who, had frozen in fear at the new enemy before him. They hadn't made it back to the gate yet, he had to come up with something fast to get everyone back home. He did the only thing that came to him.

"Teyla, McKay! Get back to the gate, dial Atlantis, and tell them that we are going to need back up. Try to keep the gate open so the wraith can't dial out and block us. We're going to help the Lt, Ronon you're with me" orders Sheppard as he swings into action. _'Hopefully the dart doesn't notice them going back'_ he thinks wishing them luck. Both Ronon and Sheppard had thought something was going to go wrong, they had just hoped that it hadn't of happened when there was a newbie around.

Lt Roads had been startled at the appearance of the warrior looking Wraith creatures that had appeared. He was equally startled to see one of them collapse to the ground, engulfed in the red light of Ronon's energy weapon. He figured it was about time for him to shoot back, he quickly thought back to his marine training, remembered what to do an aimed his P-90 at the creatures coming towards him. He noticed that while he had been shocked His commanding officer and Ronon had started the fire-fight with out him. At this point he was glad that he had been put with the most experienced team, he also saw the ruthlessness that he had heard about from others coming from Sheppard. Sheppard wasn't going easy on the Wraith, it was like he had a vendetta against them and, Ronon had a look of pure malice in his eyes; he hated them more than Sheppard. They were both killing them without mercy. At this point the dart had decided to show it's self again. With only P-90s they couldn't hope to do much damage but, if they got a lucky shot off then they could hopefully cause the craft to crash.

With the four Wraith drones dead in bloody heaps on the now blood soaked grass, the Lt followed Sheppard's lead to shoot at the dart hoping to cause some sort of damage to its hull. While he was firing on the ship above, he couldn't help but think about how long it had taken for these Wraith to go down, it had taken a lot of fire power. _'No wonder people are scared of them' _he thought sneaking a look over at the bodies he also, couldn't help but notice how when they were facing you, how menacing they looked. Ronon was covering them on the ground while he and the Lt Col were firing at the dart. They were running out of ammunition which, considering how much took to kill just four was a bad thing if any more came along to the party. Sheppard had hoped that Telya and McKay had made it to the gate by now. However, looking at the time and remembering how far they had walked from the gate then, they wouldn't be there for another 20-30minutes and that was if they weren't stopped.

x-X-x

"Dr McKay, we must hurry to the gate to get help" said Telya as calmly as ever after, she had realised that McKay had slowed a little.

"Yes, yes I know" said McKay quickly as he stumbled again. His face speaking the unspoken questions such as _'Will they be ok?'_ to which Teyla replied instinctively.

"They will be fine; they are trained and experienced fighters. However, they may need our help in bringing the dart down. We must move faster" she of course knew that they could fight yet, she still worried about them. Experience of being a leader had taught her that remaining clam in these situations helped a great deal as, it helped to calm scared people down which in turn created less panic to which Rodney was very prone to. Ahead if them they could see the clearing where the gate was situated. An open field was bad when it came to running away from enemies as they could easily been seen. Both McKay and Telya could hear the sounds of P-90s and Ronon's blaster in the distance; the sounds were being carried by the wind that had picked up about an hour ago.

Teyla and Rodney were both cautious as they moved from the cover that the trees provided. They headed towards the DHD and the gate with their weapons raised, just in case the Wraith had decided to sneak up behind them. As soon as McKay was there he dialled the addresses for Atlantis.

"Atlantis this is McKay, the Wraith decided to pop in unannounced, Sheppard, Ronon and the new Lt are trying to bring a Wraith dart down as we speak but, we don't have anything here that can destroy it" he said as fast as humanly possible, as was McKay's way when he was scared or panicking.

"McKay! Calm down, what happened?" came Dr Weir's voice over the radio, cutting off McKay free-flowing speech.

"What…. I just told you, we need back up now" McKay replied slightly flustered as to why Dr Weir wasn't getting the message that they need help now or they were _'so screwed'_.

In the background they heard the engines of the dart give out. They turned to see it come hurtling towards the ground near to wear Sheppard and the others were. One of them must have got in a lucky shot he thought. They heard the crash from where they were. However just before they heard it they saw a bright light that could only mean one thing, which was that there were more Wraith on the ground. The pilot must have been able to release them in time. They had only been able to see the light from the distance because dusk was approaching the planet and the light was fading.

"Sheppard, what's going on?" said McKay completely forgetting that he was also on the radio to Elizabeth too.

"Not now McKay we're busy" Sheppard succinctly replied over the sound of more gun fire. Sheppard thought that must mean that McKay must have been at the gate by now which was good because they were really low on things to fire at the Wraith. At least he knew that help would be on its way soon.

"Rodney, what's happening?" Weir said over the radio panic clearly creeping its way into her voice.

"I don't know, just send help sooner rather than later"

"It's on its way, stay safe"

The radio crackled off. Teyla and McKay stayed by the gate waiting for the promised help. Both wanted to go back and help them however, Sheppard had ordered them here to keep them out of the way and safe. They both hated the fact that Sheppard wanted to protect everyone possible, no matter the danger to himself, that is also the same reason they respected him as well. Ronon would keep him out of trouble or at least try to. Somehow Sheppard always had a way of finding trouble. They weren't sure of the new Lt Roads and how he would handle being up against the Wraith but, they were sure that John would protect the kid anyway he could.

The ground and the gate shook a little, as it reactivated bringing the help they'd requested. At the same time there had been a sound of an explosion, of birds flying away out of the trees and then nothing but silence.

Lorne and his men had just stepped trough the gate when the explosion occurred. Lorne looked up to where the disturbance had come from. It was in the direction of the fire-fight that had been going on between Sheppard, Ronon, Lt Roads and the Wraith. A funnel of smoke was rising from the trees and there were no longer any sounds of battle. Teyla reached for her radio.

"John? Ronon? Are you and the Lt ok?" Teyla knew that there was something wrong as did the others around her. She waited for the answer to her question. The question remained unanswered as did her silent pleas for them to answer. All she heard was static…

x-X-x

TBC

I know evil cliff-hanger I couldn't help it sorry, hope you enjoyed it.

The next chapter should be up next week at some point hopefully.

Just fixed some mistakes i saw oops. Please review, i'd love to know what you all think.


	2. Chapter 2

_Still don't own the characters cry._

_Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up; it was being awkward and turned out longer than I thought it would._

_I have no medical knowledge what so ever so anything in this chapter has been researched from Wikipedia and may not be correct. _

_Enjoy… _

**Chapter 2**

"Unscheduled off world activation!" said the gate tech as the alarms wailed.

"Are we receiving an IDC?" asked Dr Weir already knowing who it was going to be. However, she couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right.

"Yes ma'am, its Major Lorne's team."

Dr Weir looked towards the gate nervously. She thought, that she had heard an explosion on the other end of the gate when she sent Lorne's team through. That was almost an hour ago now. She wasn't ready for what was going to happen in the next five minutes but, she knew it was going to be bad. Focusing on the gate, Maj. Lorne's team came first with a grim look on their faces; her uneasy feeling crept up a couple of notches. She knew that Lorne and his men were the first through because Sheppard would have ordered it, even if Lorne had disagreed. Sheppard always felt the need to keep everyone safe, even if it meant that he had to sacrifice himself in the process. As she walked down the main stairs, she couldn't help but notice the air around the gate was tense with worry. Next out of the gate came Lt Roads, he wasn't practiced in hiding his emotions yet unlike Lorne's team. The Lt looked shocked as if he had witnessed something terrible. Now, she was scared by the fact that the rest of the team hadn't appeared yet. At that moment McKay came storming through the gate in a panic, this wasn't unusual for the scientist but, he seemed more panicked than usual. '_This is going to be bad'_ she thought.

"We need a med team now!" McKay half shouted.

"What! why? Where's the rest of your team. McKay!" Weir replied while looking for the remaining team members. It was when she looked back at the Lt's shocked face that she noticed the small cuts to his hands and face, as if he had been too close to the explosion that she had heard.

"Lt, what happened?" she asked gently. He looked like he was focusing, but not on her question and not even on the gate room rather, on the memory of what had just happened being played in his head. Mike was speechless he couldn't believe what had just happened, or why his CO would do what he had done without hesitation then, he remembered the stories that he had heard on his way here and while being here. He immediately knew, in that moment on the planet, the Trust had been very wrong about Sheppard. This meant the mission that he had been given, was not for the greater good of earth,is was for the greater good of the Trust themselves.

"Lt?" Mike heard Dr Weir address him again and snapped out of his thoughts.

"He-" Mike started. At that exact moment, Teyla, Ronon and John came through the blue shimmering puddle that was the event horizon. At her fist look, the three seemed like they were just walking closely, with Teyla and Ronon slightly behind. At second look, it seemed that Teyla and Ronon were slightly supporting a pained looking Sheppard. He was trying to hide the fact that he was in pain, but anyone that knew him could see the lines of pain on his face. Teyla looked outright worried which meant something had gone really bad, she was usually calm and as stoic as Ronon who at the moment looked concern aswell. _'That can't be good'_ thought Elizabeth.

"John? What happened?" Elizabeth said softly "Are you okay?" she could see the fight between staying focused and becoming unfocused in his green/blue eyes. The focused returned as he spoke.

"I'm f-" he whispered barely audible. His eyes lost the focus they had fought for. The words he had spoken had taken more energy than it should of. As he said them and as she stepped closer to hear them, his knees buckled and he collapsed into the grip of his team mates behind him.

"John!" Elizabeth almost screamed. "Carson, we need a med team in the gate room now." she ordered, remembering that McKay had asked for one.

"Calm down lass, what's happened." Carson's Scottish accent calmly said over the radio.

"It's John." Carson could hear the fear in Dr Weir's voice, he knew it was going to be bad, especially when it involved a certain Lt Col. _'Oh bloody hell what has the lad done now' _Carson thought before asking the current condition of his patient. "Can ya tell me his condition?"

"One minute." Elizabeth replied looking towards the scene in front of her. She had only been looking at Sheppard's face and unruly hair as he stepped through the gate. Ronon and Teyla had caught their team leader as he fell and lowered him to the ground. As she kneeled to the ground she got a good look at her military commander's condition. Teyla was on his right side holding field dressings to his upper chest. Ronon was hovering as if to keep guard over them. When Elizabeth got a closer look she saw the problem. A shard of an organic blue/purple metal embedded just below Sheppard's collar bone. The field dressings were soaked in blood. She couldn't help but notice that John's eyes had a glazed look and his skin was very pale. It seemed that he had lost a lot of blood; his breathing was shallow and fast. _'Where's the medical team'_ she thought briefly then she remembered that she hadn't gotten back to Carson's question. As she looked at John she thought keeping him awake was more important, he was fading before her eyes. It had all happened so fast, waiting for the medics to get here was like an eternity, she knew it had only been a few minute in reality. The gate shut down behind all the commotion in front of her. She put on her best your-going-be-fine look and spoke to Sheppard.

"John, you're going to be fine …John? Can you hear me?"

"Liz'beth…" he whispered "is…ev'one…ok?" he struggled.

"They are fine, save your strength." _'please hold on'_

"G-Good…" he said barely able to keep his eyes open. His strength was failing but at least he knew that everyone was safe. His breaths became shallower.

"John, you must stay awake." came Teyla's ever calming voice. _'He must not die, he is strong'_ Teyla willed to herself, he was the galaxies best hope to fight the Wraith; him and the rest of Atlantis were its best hope. Teyla felt utterly hopeless, the man that had become one of her closest friends with was dying slowly in her arms. She and Elizabeth had unshed tears in their eyes; all they could do was watch as blood escaped in a trickle out of the corner of his mouth. He spoke again.

"S-Sorry." he whispered tasting his own blood and seeing the faces' of his team. He never wanted to cause them such pain that he saw in their eyes at that moment. He was just doing his job. His eyes closed and he slipped away into the darkness of oblivion. He had fought it off until he was sure everyone was back home safe. Now not even the pleas of his friends' voices could save him from the darkness surrounding him. No matter how hard he fought, all he saw was flashes of his life and then, an eternal darkness.

x-X-x

Flashback- _on the planet about an hour ago_

_The continuous fire from 2 P-90s had somehow managed to damage the wraith dart enough that, it was sent spiralling towards the ground. Sheppard had been thinking 'Lucky shot' when the craft shuddered and the engine died. The dart skirted over the tops of the trees, then impacted the ground on the other side of the clearing they'd been fighting in; it seemed that there were a few clearings in the forest they were in. _

_They had collectively breathed a sign of relief when the craft had gone down. However, their relief was short live. There was a bright light emanating from the dart. It released two more Wraith. Again they were thrown into battle with the Wraith warriors, 'At least there's only two this time' thought the Lt; he had seen enough of these Wraith to last him a life time. If they thought that they were running low on ammo before, it was nothing compared to now. Both Sheppard and Lt Roads had about half a clip between them, if it wasn't for Ronon's weapon then these new Wraith would of surely won. Sheppard's P-90 clicked empty shortly followed by another click. Sheppard and Roads pulled out their 9 mills in attempt to shoot down the remaining wraith. It took another 10 minutes before the fight was over._

"_That was a close one!" expressed Lt Roads._

"_You can say that again Lt." replied Sheppard. Ronon just nodded. The Lt had started to relax when, he noticed that both Ronon and Sheppard hadn't and were moving towards the dart. Sheppard saw that the Lt looked at them puzzled. _

"_We're going to the dart; make sure that the pilot doesn't call a hive that might be close." Mike nodded in reply to this, agreeing that it was the best thing to do. They wouldn't be able fight off anymore Wraith, if the pilot called for his friends._

_They moved carefully and silently towards the dart, they didn't want to spook the wraith pilot that maybe alive, into blowing its self up. The wraith seemed to have a habit of doing just that when they were alone and found them selves cornered. Sheppard had always wondered why they did it. He thought maybe the Wraith wanted to kill any humans that were close by, i mean why not if they were going to die anyway or maybe, they did it because they didn't want to be captured. Sheppard doubted that the Wraith would ever tell them why. Knowing this, he knew that they had to be cautious when approaching. Lt. Roads was the first to reach the dart._

_Suddenly the canopy opened. The Wraith inside looked crazed, it reached over and pressed its self-destruct before anything could be done to stop it. It had even been too quick for Ronon to shoot. It took mere seconds for the bomb to charge. In that time Sheppard pushed the Lt out of the way, to protect him from the oncoming explosion. The explosion sent shards of ship in every direction. Sheppard felt a sharp stabbing pain in his shoulder, just below his collar bone where the vest didn't protect much, as he fell to the ground, his vision greyed slightly as the shard dug in deeper. He resisted the urge to scream out, he needed to get the others to safety. Ronon and Lt Roads felt the force of the explosion and felt tiny scratched against their skin as they fell to the ground. They could all smell the burning of the Wraith ship and could hear a slight ringing in their ears. When the initial effect of the explosion had worn off, each of them got their Barings and started to move. Sheppard struggled against the pain as he got up. 'Crap that hurts' he mused to himself. He poked around at what seem to be a knife shaped object protruding out of him, he caused himself to wince as he poked. 'Don't poke at it then you idiot' he also thought._

"_Is everyone okay?" Sheppard asked, forcing his voice to sound stronger than he felt._

"_Yes sir." Mike quickly replied; he assumed that everyone else was to for the moment. Ronon nodded but noticed that Sheppard's voice seemed strained. He moved closer towards his friend as he got up and knew that something was wrong, Sheppard was kneeling down with a look of pain on his face. Usually in situations like this, Sheppard was the first up and about. _

"_Sheppard?" asked Ronon, his concern growing for his friend as he saw a dark patch spread on Sheppard's uniform. _

"_It's nothing, come on, we should get back to the gate." John replied. He gasped slightly as he made it to his feet and swayed a little. Ronon grabbed his friend by the arm to steady him. Sheppard knew, the shard of metal had done more damage than he cared to share with his friends, he didn't want them to worry. As Ronon had steadied Sheppard he started looking through Sheppard's Tac vest to look for a field dressing. _

"_Hey big guy, what ya doing." Sheppard asked hissing as the movement caused his wound to throb._

"_Trying to stop you from bleeding to death." Ronon replied, succinct as always. Lt Roads hadn't heard this conversation, but he hadn't missed the fact that his CO had almost taken a nose dive to the ground. He stepped closer to the two friends to see what was happening. What saw surprised him a little 'That's new' he thought. He saw that a piece of the enemy ship was embedded in his CO's Shoulder, he saw that a slow trickle of blood was oozing around the offending piece of organic metal. He looked at Sheppard's face and saw that it was already a little pale, beads of sweat had started falling around his face. It was then that Mike realised that if Sheppard hadn't of pushed him out of the way, then it would be him with that in him. He was starting to realise that the stories of Sheppard's heroism were true._

"_Sir, are you alright?" Mike asked genuinely concerned for Sheppard. _

"_I'm fine." Sheppard answered. "Lets get back to the gate guys, it's getting late." he ordered after, Ronon had finished surrounding the metal with field dressings, in attempt to slow the bleeding. Sheppard, Ronon and Lt Roads moved out, heading towards the gate, all be it more slowly than they had come. After about 20 minutes, they came to a halt to give Sheppard some time to rest. Mike saw that the field dressings were now mostly soaked in blood, this hindered Sheppard's movements as the more he bled, the weaker he became. _

"_Can't we call for a jumper sir?" Mike asked._

"_No… there's not…enough space…to land…and besides…I think…our radios…are broken." panted Sheppard as he tried to lean on a close tree to rest. The walk and the flagging adrenalin levels had drained him of most of his strength; he could hardly walk without stumbling on the twigs beneath him. Mike could clearly see the Sheppard that he had been told about, the one who wouldn't stop until his people were safe, the one who even if injured would carry on and protect anyone possible that he could. Mike was still in awe of his new CO, by the actions of Sheppard he had been saved and now, he knew Sheppard would make sure they made it home safely._

_The surrounding light had faded from the time of the explosion. The sounds of the native wildlife could be heard, other than that and Sheppard's soft panting, all was silent. When suddenly, they all heard the sound of approaching foot steps, and then the snapping of a twig. They looked around in effort to see what was coming, but the darkness that now was the start of night time, caused only shadows to be seen, moving closer towards them through the trees…_

x-X-x

_20 minutes ago _

_All she heard was static…_

_Teyla waited another couple of minutes before desperately calling them again. _

"_John, Ronon, Lt Roads, can you hear me?" the fear now evident in her voice._

"_Oh god…they're dead aren't they?" squeaked a panicked McKay._

"_McKay!... for all you know their radios could just be broken" warned Lorne, he didn't want to believe that his commanding officer was dead anymore than McKay did, but it was a possibility. It was very unlikely or unlucky that three radios would brake at the same time. Both Teyla and Lorne felt that there was something wrong. However, they would never voice that to McKay knowing, that it would send him into full blown panic mode. McKay suddenly remembered that he had an LSD with him and started looking for life signs._

"_I'm picking up two…no wait, three life signs heading this way…oh god it's the Wraith isn't it?" said McKay as his panic-meter shot up a few notches._

"_Dr McKay couldn't it be the Col and the others" asked Teyla, hoping that the uneasy feeling wasn't due to the Wraith. _

"_Well I suppose it could but…can you sense any Wraith."_

"_No, I do not think so, but something is not right." she wished at that moment that she had not voiced her unspoken concern. Rodney's face fell a little, more scared than a moment ago. Lorne decided to intervene before McKay got started up again._

"_Alright people, lets move out carefully, keep an eye out for anything that moves as we approach the life signs. Go!" With that they all moved towards the three dots on the screen hoping, they were friends and not enemies. They moved across the clearing the gate was in with military precision then, into the trees quietly. They didn't want to get the attention of any other animals that maybe in the forest. As they headed in the direction of the smoke that they had seen, the smell of burnt metal became stronger and stronger. The smell had been carried by the light wind that had picked up, it whipping around the looming trees. The smoke had also been carried by the wind and, had created an eerie mist coming towards them, as if it were actually trying to get them. The light of the dusk on the planet had turned into a silent darkness; rustling noises could be heard as they walked. The planet they were on seemed to be in the middle of autumn. McKay, hadn't felt the need to complain which was equally as creepy as the forest but, he understood the need to remain silent. He didn't want anyone to get hurt because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. They had been walking for 20 minutes, before they realised the three life signs were only about 100 or so meters away. The wind now carried the hushed voices of a conversation. SNAP!... The relative silence was broken. 'Crap' McKay thought as he stepped on a dry twig._

x-X-x

"_What was that?" snapped the Lt as soon as he heard the twig brake. _

"_Sssh!" hushed Sheppard "Keep your guard up" the strain now more pronounced in his voice. Sheppard wasn't going to let Ronon and the Lt down. He had to make sure they got home, injury be damned. However, his own body seemed to be betraying him today. He knew that the object in him, must have done more damage than even he thought as a fog clouded his vision. He shook his head to clear the fog, this wasn't unnoticed by Ronon. _

"_Sheppard?" questioned Ronon. _

"_It's nothing chewie, now let's go and hope that McKay and Teyla contacted Atlantis." Sheppard said wincing slightly as he straightened himself up from the tree. The world seemed to tilt a little and fade as he moved, then it righted itself a moment after. _

"_Lets move. " Sheppard ordered quietly. The shadows were coming closer. Sheppard hoped that they were the rescue team, though you always had to be careful when on a seemingly uninhabited world. _

x-X-x

_McKay decided that being quite was getting them nowhere and was boring, so he turned to Teyla and asked._

"_Are you sure there are no Wraith."_

"_I am sure." she relaxed a little, as now she was sure no Wraith were present in the immediate vicinity. However, every fibre of her being knew something was not right. She took a chance at speaking into the foreboding darkness._

"_John, Ronon, is that you?"_

"_T-Teyla." a quite voice replied from the darkness. She knew the voice. It was John. She also heard a waver of pain in the voice of her friend._

_Sheppard, Ronon and Mike had hidden away from the shadows behind the trees. When the shadows had turned out to be their friends they were relieved. Sheppard had come out from behind the tree first, followed closely by Ronon and then Lt Roads. Sheppard swayed dangerously, he was only caught by the quick reflexes of Ronon. 'Crap' thought Sheppard 'That wasn't meant to happen'; he saw that Teyla was coming towards him with a concerned look upon her face. His breathing hitched slightly as she put steadying hands on his chest. Now that she was closer her worry only increased, she could see that he was pale and fighting to stay upright. This fight was taking its toll on him; he was sweating slightly from the exertion of walking through the forest. She began searching for the reason he looked like he was going to drop at any moment. This was when she noticed that something warm and wet was trickling down her left hand. She moved her weapon up, to direct the light on it to find what was causing the trickle. She had already figured out that he was injured but, she was surprised to find out how bad it was, the sight made her wince in sympathy. She saw there was a knife-shaped object puncturing John's shoulder, it had been surrounded by field dressings, they were now leaking, they had reached their capacity to hold anymore blood. _

"_John you must rest, we are safe for the moment." he heard the fear in her voice, if she was worried, then he was screwed, he didn't think it was that bad. He knew it was bad as, he was only getting weaker and weaker by the second, even standing around was draining him. She knew the answer that was coming._

"_No I'm fine we need to get…" McKay cut him off._

"_Yeah right Mr I'm-fine, you almost just fainted. That is not fine and you know it " the concern in McKay's voice overpowered the anger in it._

"_Look…lets just go home shall we?"_

"_You have got to be kidding me Sheppard, you can barely stand."_

"_It is not safe here McKay, the Wraith could come back at any minute." McKay fell silent knowing that it was true. Sheppard continued. _"_Maj you take point, and thanks for the rescue."_

"_Yes sir. Are you sure your up for it sir?" asked Lorne. Before Sheppard could reply Teyla did._

"_We will watch him." she said nodding towards Ronon. Teyla and Ronon took up positions either side of Sheppard and they moved out. The gate was a 20 minute brisk walk away, more like 30 minute due to the speed they travelled now, to make sure Sheppard kept up. The night was in full swing now and all the nocturnal creatures were coming out to play, the sounds of these were creeping McKay out which, could be told by the amount of complaining that he was doing. However, this wasn't the creepiest thing in the forest as Ronon and Teyla shared worried looks. Sheppard had been too quite, he hadn't even commented on McKay's complaints like he usually would. He was concentrating on putting one step in front of the other. It wasn't lost on the others that he was now panting with the effort of keeping up with a pace McKay could easily do. Sheppard was suddenly aware that they were near the gate and that someone was dialling, he dug up what remained of his strength and stepped semi-confidently through the gate, after Lorne's team. _

_End flashback_

x-X-x

Present time back on Atlantis- 5 minutes after they had returned from the planet.

As the Dark oblivion claimed him, he could hear the desperate voices of his friends. He tried to find his way back to them but, he could no longer fight it. The voice faded and he tried to fight harder, he had nothing left to fight with, then all he knew was silence.

Carson, had raced through the halls of Atlantis as he heard the deterioration of his patient, the bits he had managed to overhear were worrying, Sheppard's pulse was weak and rapid. He knew these signs, signs of shock and the body shutting down, he was damned if he was going to let Sheppard die now. As he rushed into the gate room, he heard the shouts for the Col grow desperate. He rushed to the pilot's side and searched for a pulse. Nothing _'Shit' _he cursed _'come on lad don't give up now'. _His team rushed around their patient bagging him in attempt to get him to breath again. Sheppard's skin was pale and cold and he wasn't breathing. Definitely in shock, Carson cursed again as he saw the cause to his patient's condition.

"Charging!" called one of Carson's team. He took the paddles of the defibrillator and shouted.

"Clear!" the shock caused Sheppard's body to convulse a little but then returned to its limp state. Carson checked for a pulse again, but again found nothing.

"Charge to 200...Clear!" he wasn't ready to give up yet. The machines that had been attached to Sheppard produced a beep…beep…beep sound, Carson check for a pulse again, it was a little weak but it was there. He allowed himself to relax slightly though, it wasn't over by a long way. He remembered that he had an audience and composed him self to answer their questioning looks. They all looked rooted to the floor with fear and shock, even Ronon didn't look his stoic self.

"We got him back." Carson answered their looks though they didn't seem convinced. McKay, was the first one to speak out of the shocked silence of the gate room. All that could be heard, was the gurney being rolled away carrying their friend.

"Will he… you know…be ok." he stammered.

"I'm not sure Rodney; he lost a lot of blood and went into hypovolemic shock, we were lucky to get him back, all we can do now is repair the damage and replace the blood loss." He stopped to take a breath then continued "I will be able to tell you more after the surgery, all we can do at the moment is wait to see how he fairs through the surgery"

"What, your saying that even with all your voodoo magic, all we can do is wait to see what happens." McKay was becoming irate now.

"Rodney!" Elizabeth Snapped.

"Look, I know ya don't like to hear it but it _is _all we can do. Now, if ya don't mind I have a patient to get back to. Oh and the rest of you can come for your post-mission check-ups now." ordered the doctor. His tone meant no room for argument.

They all shuffled through the corridors of Atlantis, thinking about what had happened on the planet. Their adrenalin levels now back to normal, exhaustion took over. They would of headed straight for the infirmary anyway to watch over their team mate, it was something they did for each other. After they had all been cleared, Lorne and his men had been told to get something to eat and get some rest, so had Sheppard's team but the nurses knew better than to argue with them. They also knew that they would stay, until they found out some news about their team leader. The atmosphere was tense as they waited silently, Dr Weir had been called away to attend to some business else where in the city.

About 4 hours later

Sheppard's team and Lt Roads had been dozing as Dr Beckett came into the waiting room; he was still wearing his surgery scrubs which, seem to be spotted in blood. McKay panicked.

"Oh god, he's dead isn't he, that's why it took so long for you to come out, isn't it?" _'Damn it Sheppard why do you always have to be the hero'_

"McKay" Ronon warned, becoming alarmed at the blood on the Doctor scrubs, he look to the doctor's face and calmed as he saw a smile.

"No Rodney, ya bloody fool, he's not dead, he made it through the surgery with flying colours, he's a fighter I'll give him that, he surprised us all by waking up after the anaesthetic wore off. We're just getting him settled now. It took so long because we had to make sure that the damaged artery was repaired fully" he paused for a moment as everyone looked shocked to hear this last part, then continued "don't be worrying, the metal only nicked an artery which is why he was able to even move around, if the artery had been damaged any more than it was, he would of bled out in mere minutes." The doctor's smile widened as the relief shown on everyone's weary faces. He carried on "We got him on oxygen to get his O2 levels back up and we'll keep him for a few days to make sure he's ok, he'll be a wee weak for a bit, baring any complications he'll be back to duty in a couple o' weeks, while the stitches heal."

"May we see him." Teyla asked.

"Aye lass, ya can but only for a few minutes, then I want ya all gone, getting some food and then getting some rest, I won't be allowing you in again till the morning" Carson sternly replied. He got disapproving looks but he was used to them by now. Carson moved off to allow them past and to update Elizabeth on John's condition. After Mike had heard that his new CO was going to be alright he moved to leave, but was stopped when Teyla called him back.

"Lt Roads, I believe that John would want to see you, so he could be sure that you were unharmed." _'Yeah right'_ Mike thought briefly, as if anyone cared about him that much.

"But…he won't even be awake will he?" _'I mean the guy only just came out of surgery' _he stammered trying to make an excuse, he felt guilty about someone being hurt in the effort of trying to save him, and the fact that the guy that had done it was his CO amazed him.

"He'll be awake" Ronon stated as a matter of fact. Ronon, Teyla, McKay and Lt Roads walked quietly up to where Sheppard lay. While he was now a better colour and looking more with it, he looked like he was trying to fight sleep so, they would make this a quick visit.

"Hey guys, is everyone okay?" Sheppard asked sleepily

"We are fine John, I am glad to see you looking better." Teyla serenely replied. Sheppard smiled in reply. Mike stepped out of the dim lighting of the infirmary, thinking about what he was going to say and spoke.

"S-sir…erm…thanks."

"Think nothing of it Lt, I couldn't have you getting hurt maybe killed on your first mission." Sheppard chuckled, thinking about the amount of paper work that meant, then thought better of it as his stitches pulled, causing him to wince slightly. Mike was surprised by this reply, he'd heard about Sheppard's self-sacrificing ways but didn't believe it until that moment on the planet. Now, it was as if Sheppard didn't mind that he had been hurt protecting one of his people, as if it was the only possible option in Sheppard's head. When Mike had focused back to the room he was in, Sheppard had a look of worry on his face.

"Lt, are you okay?"

"Yes sir." replied Mike. He could see that the small conversation had tired Sheppard out. Sheppard felt the tug of sleep and started to succumb, when he opened his eyes again McKay's voice penetrated the fuzziness of his mind.

"Just go to sleep Sheppard, we'll be back in the morning."

"K', g'night guys."

"Good night John." replied Teyla with a smile. Ronon nodded at Sheppard, it carried the same meaning as Teyla's goodnight…

x-X-x

About 4 days later.

Sheppard's first day in the infirmary, had been a blur of people visiting and wishing him well, while catching up on quite a bit of sleep. By about day 2 he was feeling better and ready to get out of the infirmary. As day 3 had crept on, he had tried to escape the confines of his prison twice and almost made it twice before, Carson had started to threaten him with sedatives, this is where he stopped trying to escape. He wasn't stupid enough to try again when Carson got like that. Each attempt at escape had gotten him reminded of the fact that he had almost died _again_, and should take it easy. On day 4, he had finaly been released after a quick examination of his wound and told to take it easy. This meant no running, and definitely no sparing with Ronon, at least until the stitches fully healed. Sheppard had been so happy to be released from the infirmary; he didn't even mind that he had been grounded for a week or two. In fact, Sheppard had been feeling lucky, he really thought he was going to die that time, he still had things that he wanted to do. Recently, he had been thinking about how the new Lt had done on the mission, despite the fact that it had gone horribly wrong. He headed out of the infirmary to find Lt Roads. First, he tried all the usual hideouts that the marines had then; he checked the gym to see if Ronon had seen him around. When he arrived at the gym he had been surprised to find the Lt there, willingly being taught by Ronon. He also saw that the other marines Lt Roads had come to Atlantis with were there too.

Stepping into the room, the people within it stopped what they were doing and looked up. Sheppard stood tall, wincing slightly as the move reminded him of his recent injury. Lt Roads was the first to speak, Ronon gave Sheppard a disapproving look, but also one that said he had been expected there at some point, and stayed silent.

"Sir… should you be out of the infirmary?"

"Relax Lt, I'm fine I actually came to talk to you." Sheppard replied coolly. He wasn't going to say it, but the trip around the city trying to find Lt Roads had taken its toll on him.

"Yes Sir." Mike said shyly, thinking he knew what was bout to come, he had screwed up and gotten his CO hurt, now he was going to pay for it. Both Sheppard and Ronon couldn't help but see the looks on the other marines' faces. They looked like they were hiding something. Ronon and Sheppard gave each other a look to say _'that's odd'_ and then turned back to the marines, as if they hadn't noticed anything strange.

"What is this about sir?" Mike asked nervously as they stepped out of the gym.

"Oh, about how you reacted to a very dangerous off world situation." beamed Sheppard who then noticed that the Lt. still looked nervous. "Relax Lt, I think you did a great job out there, you kept your head even though it was your first time fighting with the wraith. Well done." Smiled Sheppard with pride for the new Lt. However, Sheppard noticed that Roads hadn't completely relaxed and was wondering what had him so wired. "Is there something on your mind Lt"

"Erm…its nothing sir…thanks." Mike stuttered

"If you're sure Lt, I will let you get back to your training."

"Yes Sir." saluted Mike. He really had meant to tell Sheppard about Trust, about the whole thing but couldn't because at the same time, the session with Ronon had finished and the others had come out. The looks that he had been given by his 'friends' was one of 'you better not of told him'. Mike now became scared that they suspected he had told. When the marines were safely out of sight Sheppard swayed a little, feeling slightly dizzy.

"Sheppard?" asked Ronon, looking slightly puzzled at his friend's sudden weakness. To be honest though, he thought Sheppard had looked quite tired as he stepped into the gym.

"Just tired s'all, no biggie" Sheppard sleepily replied. Ronon shot him a look saying _'yeah right'_.

"Ok. Ok. I will go and 'rest'." grumbled Sheppard. He had always wondered how a simple look from Ronon compelled him to act. Ronon Kept him company back to his quarters, most likely so he didn't fall flat on his face, as it seemed his body wanted to fall asleep, while it was in motion. They arranged to meet in the morning for breakfast as usual, and bid each other good night.

Sheppard was so tired on entering his room, that he hadn't noticed one of Mike's 'friends' hiding in the shadows. He hadn't seen the cloth being pushed into his face, hadn't smelled the chloroform on the cloth. He also, didn't feel when the stitches ripped as he hit the cold ground. It all happened so fast he hadn't had time to call for help. What the attacker didn't notice was that when he hauled Sheppard body up and out of the room, that he had left a small puddle of blood smeared on the floor. It was now the mid afternoon in Atlantis even so, nobody had realised attacker carrying the limp body of the military commander. The Trust had plans for John Sheppard…

x-X-x

Mike was surprised that Sheppard was up and about; it had only been 4 days since he had almost died. He had to give to the guy though; he was stubborn and protective of others. Sheppard's actions, had made him not want to be apart of the Trust's plans anymore. While he had been thinking about everything, he hadn't noticed that his 'friends' had been whispering behind him and leading him to a quiet part of the huge city. He suddenly had a really bad feeling about what was just about to happen. The atmosphere around them grew icy cold and foreboding as they reached an abandoned room. Mike shivered as he spoke.

"What's g-" Mike was cut off as he saw, rather than felt a Wraith stunner _'where did that come from'_ being ploughed into his stomach. It was only when it was slowly being pulled out, did he feel the blinding pain. He knew that it had gone all the way through. He watched as the other people left the room, as his life left him, he remembered what had been said to him, as he had been impaled by the stunner.

"_This is why you don't go telling on the Trust, now your precious Sheppard will suffer and there is nothing you can do to stop us." the disembodied voice had said coldly._

As his vision faded to black, his breathing slowed and blood poured out in a puddle around him, all he could think was that he had tried to do the right thing, but had been too late. His last hope was that, Sheppard survived what the Trust planned to do with him.

x-X-x

Breakfast the next day.

'_Hmm, maybe he had already gone' _thought Ronon as he knocked on Sheppard's door. However, he could feel that something was not quite right because, Sheppard usually told at least one person where he was going to be, even when he was avoiding people.

"Teyla, its Ronon, is Sheppard in the mess hall yet?" asked Ronon. He knew that Teyla and McKay would already be there. They all met there every morning when they could, it was a team thing.

"No, he is not, have you checked his quarters? perhaps he has overslept."

"There is no answer." replied Ronon his concern growing.

"Maybe he has already left, and you merely missed him" if Ronon didn't know Teyla as well as he did, he wouldn't of noticed the worry creep into her voice in her reply. She also knew that John would contact one of the team if his plans had changed. McKay, who overheard the one-side conversation but was oblivious to what was happening, carried on eating and didn't notice the worried look on Teyla's face until he looked up, and saw her start to move.

"Oh come on, he's a big boy, he can look after himself…"stopping abruptly as Teyla gave him a warning look.

"Do you not find it strange, that he has not arrived yet, and Ronon has not gotten an answer from his quarters?"

"Oh…erm… yes fine, that is strange." clicking his radio "Ronon we are on our way, but if he is just asleep…"

"McKay!" shouted Ronon down the radio, cutting McKay off. Ronon waited for the next 5 minutes, trying to get a hold of Sheppard by knocking on the door and trying the radio, both tries were met with silence. The worry that held him minutes ago, now started to consume him.

When McKay and Teyla arrived in front of Sheppard's door, McKay immediately jimmied the door controls and they stumbled in to the room. The bed had not been slept in which was strange in its self because, Ronon knew this is where Sheppard had been when he left him. The room felt cold and uninviting when they had entered now; it had an air of death about it. It was only when they looked closer at the room and McKay said 'oh god', that they noticed the crimson stain about two meters from the door. Ronon's anger flared because the blood wasn't fresh, this meant it had happened hours ago. McKay broke the silence.

"Where could he…Zelenka search for Col. Sheppard's locator, now!"

"What, Rodney why? What has happened?"

"Just do it." Rodney ordered forcefully.

A couple of minutes later...

"There is nothing Rodney."

"What do you mean nothing? He can't have just disappeared." the only reason for not being able to find a locator, was if it had been cut out and destroyed, or the person it was in was dead. _'Stop it Rodney'_ he scolded himself. The team stood in the stillness of their friend's room, hoping that he would still be alive when they found him. But, what condition would he be in when they did...

x-X-x

Another cliff-hanger sorry couldn't resist again.

I have tried to fix as many mistakes as i've seen.

Please read and review so I know how I'm doing.

The next chapter will be an NCIS one.


End file.
